Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Work, Work, Work

I woke up to the warm feeling of sunlight hitting my face, coming in through a small gap between the curtains. I looked once again at the mess I had made last night, and the feeling of embarrassment came rushing back. I picked up some rags on my nightstand, but froze once I looked at the door. Fate was standing right there.

She was blushing and apparently just as surprised as I was.

"O-oh!" She covered her eyes and turned around as quickly as she could.  "I'm sorry I d-didn't know-"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I cleaned myself as fast and as well as I could and hid under the blankets.

"Y-you can take a bath on the floor below, then Robin wants to see you."

"Thank you, Fate." I was probably blushing just as much as her due to sheer embarrassment.

The alchemist awkwardly power-walked out of the room, mumbling something about my stats. Once she left I checked them once again, and sure enough things were different.

Naomi - Initiate Guard

STR - 7

WIS - 3

CHA - 4

DEX - 6

MAGIC PROWESS - 15

Current Perks - Intimidating

Level - 1

I wondered if it was the training that gave me more strength and dexterity, or if it happened because I got a new class. Either way, it did feel a bit rewarding to see those numbers ever so slightly higher. I was curious about the perk, and once I read it out loud a description appeared in front of me.

Intimidating

"As a guard, your weapons and armor can make people nervous around you. For better, or for worse..."

I got up and looked inside the wardrobe, searching for something to wear. Inside there were only dresses and skirts, and with Fate not around I couldn't ask for something a little better for me. So I just took a deep breath and grabbed the simplest one. As much as I didn't want to admit, it was actually quite comfortable. Especially after the changes my body had just gone through.

Getting out into the hallway in a dress felt strange, but no one seemed to pay attention to me at all. I moved quickly and finally got the training room and knocked on the door. It didn't take long for it to open.

"Hey, newbie." Robin said as soon as she opened the door, handing me a uniform. "Your first shift is until 6 o'clock, you have to guard the eastern entrance to this side of the castle. Get going."

"W-wait, I-" She was clearly in a hurry, and I still had way too many questions.

"Oh, and before you go. You patrol the corridor back and forth, but don't go into any of the rooms unless absolutely necessary." Suddenly she gets quieter and more serious, leaning close to me. "And no matter what... Under no circumstances will you enter the basement. Got it?"

"Uh... Yes ma'am!"

"Good. Now get moving, newbie. If you do well on your first week I'll give you another one-on-one."

She closed the door and I scrambled to get inside one of the changing rooms. Inside I took off the dress and put on my uniform, feeling a little disappointed to have to let go of the dress. I tried pushing the feeling aside. The uniform fit me perfectly as if it was tailor made, even though I hadn't done any measuring. It was actually surprisingly comfortable and practical, a mixture of leather and metal that made for a very light-weight armor. And as for my weapon, I picked a short sword. It was time show what I was made of, and I was ready to make an impression.

Day one -

Nothing happened the entire day. I just stood there in front of the entrance doors, moving around the corridor from time to time. I saw another guard further down hallway, he looked like an elf. I'm pretty sure he noticed me, so I awkwardly gave him a little wave. He just turned around and went back to his patrol. I would have felt embarrassment if I wasn't bored out of my mind.

Very few people passed through, and no one used the doors. I was supposed to question anyone that entered through them as they were for royalty and royal staff only, so I practiced some short questions to make sure I didn't fumble my words. Didn't matter at the end of the day  but at least I would be ready for the following days.

Once I went back to my room, Fate was sitting by the bookshelf, waiting for me. She looked very relieved once she noticed me enter.  The alchemist excitedly got up and went on and on about a new food stand that had just opened. I agreed to go there with her, and we got some pastries I had never seen before. They were great, and it was fun to walk around the city seeing the sights while talking to her. We spoke about our interests and I found out she's really into board games, and was intrigued by the idea tabletop RPG's. After a lovely day we went back and I got my well-deserved 8 hours of rest.

Day two -

The second day was a little more exciting, even if that isn't saying much. I saw two kids chasing a dog down the hall. The dog had a doll in its mouth, wagging its tail the whole time. I swiftly but gently picked up the dog as it passed me, and carefully got the doll out of its mouth. I gave the toy back to the kids and told them to find some sticks to distract their pet with. They thanked me and left, and that was the only thing that happened during my whole shift apart from getting a small wave back out of that other guard. 

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I went back to my room and yet again Fate was waiting for me. This time, she had a small box in her hands and looked somewhat nervous.

"Hey, Naomi! I... Got something for you! So you don't have to go out in uniform or simple clothes anymore."

"New clothes, huh? I appreciate it, but you didn't have to spend money on me, you know."

"Oh! You haven't noticed yet? We don't really have money here. We just... kinda get stuff if we can or need it. Because of the queen's magic we really don't lack many things."

"Ah." I thought back to when we were going out and just then realised she never paid for a single thing we got. "Fair enough, I guess. In that case, show me what you got."

She opened the box to reveal a long, fancy, purple and pink dress. It looked very well-made, and the fabric was really soft to the touch. I tried to think of an excuse not to wear it, so I didn't have to admit to Fate or even myself that I actually liked getting such a gift. Instead, I decided it was time to stop burying my feelings. 

"Thanks, Fate. I actually really like it."

"Y-you do?!" She looked at me with wide eyes and a hopeful smile, standing on her tiptoes. I could see her sheep ears twitching lightly.

"I do. Really. What do you say I wear it right now as we walk through the city?"

"That'd be wonderful!"

That night we spent our time at the beach, talking about our personal lives. I told her about the one friend I had back in my old life, about my boring job and my crappy apartment. She told me about her friends at the castle, how Robin taught her to defend herself while gathering certain ingredients outside the kingdom. Apparently the place was dangerous, and the kingdom only survived because of the Queen's magic. 

Being in a dress once again felt good to me, and I wasn't as shy about it as before. I didn't mind if people saw me wearing it, I liked the way I looked. We went back to our room once again, and I prepared myself for yet another day of guarding that boring corridor.

Day three -

Somehow even less happened that day. The most exciting thing was watching a small pigeon "attack" the other guard. I tried to hold in my laughter as he recomposed himself. He gave me a quick glance and for the first time actually said something to me.

"Laugh all you want! The birds will come after you next." I did, indeed, laugh as much as I wanted to. He clearly didn't take the situation too seriously, so neither did I.

On my way back I decided to walk by the closest stores and pick up a gift for Fate; A brand-new set of dice. Since she liked the idea of tabletop RPG's, I thought it would be a nice thing to do together. Once I finally got back I found her working with some strange liquids at one of her stations. She looked completely focused, but somehow still heard me get in.

"Hi!" She talked without looking back at me, not taking her eyes off a strangely-shaped flask she was heating. "Just finishing something up, you can take a pair of safety goggles."

I waited for her to be done with whatever she was doing, and sat down at one of the tables.

"So... What's that?"

"Hm? This? Oh, I take a potion like this once a week to help with my insomnia. Your turn, what's that?" She pointed to the bag of dice I got.

"I got you something. As a thank you."

"Ohh, that's cool! I wonder what-" Her eyes lit up as she saw the contents of the bag, and she looked at me in shock. "We have these?! And you got some!? No way! Can we play sometime? I don't know the rules, but I can learn quick! Maybe I can-"

"Don't worry, Fate." I chuckled. "I'll teach you all about it. Are you busy right now?"

I spent some time explaining the rules to her, at least the ones I remembered. We got a pencil and some paper and started to write it down. I didn't have the entire book memorized of course, but I did know enough to explain the basics. I explained how to create a character and how to role play. She got the hang of it pretty quick.

Day four -

Once again I went to work expecting another boring day, and that's how it seemed at first. The other guard got there late this time. When I asked why he said his uniform was missing, and he had to get another one from Robin. We finally talked to each other, I found out his name was Hector. I asked about the kingdom a bit, since I hadn't had the opportunity to explore all that much other than the local market and beach. He recommended some places just outside the walls in the nature, and some inns and interesting spots in town.

The day was mostly quiet after that, with just the occasional passer-by who at most gave me a small nod of acknowledgement. All boring as can be, until suddenly I heard that laughter again. The same one I had heard before I woke up in Lumalight. It was faint and far away, but I couldn't pinpoint where it came from. It sounded like it was coming from the walls.

I felt sick to my stomach, and that searing headache came back. I fell to my knees, trying to endure the pain and get back up. I felt someone walk by me, and I heard very faint footsteps walking right in front of me. I couldn't even open my eyes until the pain went away as quickly as it had come back.

I stood up as fast as I could and looked around. Hector and whoever went by me were nowhere to be seen. Just when I was starting to doubt that anything had even happened, my cat ears twitched as I heard the sounds of something metal hitting the floor. The sound clearly came from the basement. The stairs were wide at first and narrowed down at the end, leading to a small wooden door with what looked like a dozen locks. I slowly walk to it, my heart pounding as I remembered the warnings Robin had given me. Although quite honestly, they sounded more like threats. 

I walked down the stairs without making a sound, my tail swaying from side to side to help me maintain balance. I reached for the door and opened it just slightly, confirming it to be unlocked. I thought twice before entering. There had to be a reason as to why I was not allowed in there. Perhaps the right thing to do would be to go back and warn someone with more authority than me. That would be the responsible thing to do, after all.

"Fuck it." I mumble under my breath, stretch my arms and walk into the basement.

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